Battery Geek Portable Power Station

By David Ciccone, posted Wednesday, Jul. 19th, 2006
Reader Comments: 23

Providing my Sony UX-180p over 20+ hours of battery life!

Many of you are aware I have been using the Sony UX-180p for the last 3 weeks and have been enjoying the computer each and every day. Unfortunately one of my only issues is the 2.75 hours of battery life I get on the UX. During the past three weeks I have debating if I should take the plunge and purchase the extended battery for $360.00 dollars. Yes I said $360.00!! Now for someone who just made a purchase for $1800.00 and then adding on an additional $360.00 is a huge obstacle. So last week I went on a mission to find another solution.

Two weeks ago I was surfing the internet and remembered an old company I worked with previously called BatteryGeek. I immediately went through their free battery audit service. Within 24 hours I received an email informing me of possible solutions for my Sony UX-180p. The audit had made three recommendations

BG 15-21-118 External Laptop Battery - - - - $169.00

BG-15-21-130 External Laptop Battery - - - - $199.00

Portable Power Station External Battery - - - - $299.00

For me it was a very easy selection since I have some many gadgets the Portable Power Station was the clear choice. I placed my order last week and within a few days my Portable Power Station was at my doorstep. The Portable Power Station takes 6-7 hours to fully charge but that wasn't an issue since my battery was fully charged when I received it.

The Portable Power Station comes with over 30 + tips along with a travel case and a pouch to carry just the battery and cord. Since the battery was completely charged I immediately searched throught the tips to see which one best fit my Sony UX-180p. I then checked to see the power requirement for the UX which was 16.5V, since the Portable Power Station has built in variable voltage selection from 3V,5V,6V,9V,12V,16V,19V,21V,24V,28V this wasnt an issue at all. All I did was select 16V and plug the unit in.

The big test was to see how long the Sony UX-180p would run. I started my test with the brightness set at 100% and Wifi and Bluetooth on. The battery to my amazement ran for over 18 hours!!!!! Now thats not it, since my Portable Battery Station was actually charging my standard battery I unplugged the battery pack and I had 100% charge which allowed me to run for an additional 2.5 hours for a total of 20.5 hours!!!! I also noticed when charging the Sony UX-180p I could stil plug in my Motorola Q into the USB port of my Sony UX-180p and charge the phone. Since I use my Motorola Q as a modem for my Sony UX I was extremely happy because it will charge the phone while I am using it to surf the internet.

So if you are a mobile warrior and always on the run this definitely is the right product for you,. For me I would rather invest $299.00 dollars on a battery pack that I can use with more than one device...

Get your free Battery Audit

I ordered from them in July, 2008 and I'm still trying to get a refund for my Oct., 2008 purchase they failed to ship. I had to file three BBB complaint and received a refund for two orders but in process for the third. This has been a nightmare for me. I'm sure the battery pack works well once you receive it in a timely manner. I have been more than patient with them; I waited over three months before asking for a refund. It has taken over 6 months before the first refund. If you want to take a chance and see if they'll ship it right away but I'd advice against it. If you do, hopefully, you'll have better luck with them.

Posted by drewpark, Thursday, Apr. 9th, 2009

Readers are warned to do a google search of battery geek before purchasing. The service and support has dropped to a dismal level. This is now a shady company to do business with.

Posted by KrauserII, Tuesday, Mar. 17th, 2009

I wonder if there is any one interested in foldable flexible solar panel.It is light,easy to carry solar panel. It can power different battery including lithium,Polymer ,Acid or Lead battery pack.Website: www.powereverywhere.net

Posted by vivian, Sunday, Feb. 15th, 2009

As I have worked alongside Sean Murray for years, I do know for a fact that sometimes they are out of stock of their most important laptop battery models. If you encounter such a problem, you may find the models also at our other online store, www.batterygeek.us which usually has cheaper pricing! We carry all the same models of high capacity.

Posted by mbostick01, Tuesday, Jul. 22nd, 2008

I'm wondering if anyone has an update on Battery Geeks or the Power Station. I'm considering buying one for trips with my Apple G4 Powerbook (aluminum) and would like to hear if anyone has experience running a full-on notebook with this external supply. Thanks!

Posted by prometheus, Sunday, Apr. 27th, 2008

Recently, I purchased this for my UX-280P. The battery is great and does provide the extra hours needed when traveling or even just sitting at home. One major negative is the customer service. According to their website they guarantee that they will ship same day or they will refund the shipping costs. Unfortunately, they did not ship the same day and did not refund my shipping costs. In fact, they tried to lie to me that it was shipped but the proof was in the shipping tracking number. Still no refund today. Good product... shady company.

Posted by kasper007, Wednesday, Dec. 26th, 2007

Has anyone tried the IGo extended battery with all the tips charging all kind of devices?

Posted by GAZ62, Saturday, Sep. 23rd, 2006

Has anyone tried this battery on a laptop? I'm looking for a decent external battery. I've had excellent success with the Valence N-Charge 1 batteries in the past and terrible luck with the junk they call the N-Charge 2. I like the Power Station's USB capability as well.

Anyway, anyone have any laptop runtime experience with this battery?

Posted by rickh925, Friday, Jul. 28th, 2006

David, you stated "Since I use my Motorola Q as a modem for my Sony UX I was extremely happy because it will charge the phone while I am using it to surf the internet."
Are you using a special package with Verizon, just pay per minute, or $4.99 internet surf? PM me through MicroPCTalk if I'm asking for too much info.

Posted by Greg Goldsborough, Saturday, Jul. 22nd, 2006

It will add quite a bit of weight, but I'll have to do it. I have a VAIO T250 and the UX180. I previously looked for a device like this to power my laptop, iPOD, pda, cell phones, etc. But having this 1LB device and adding another 1LB is taking away the low weight and portability factor. As far as the under $300 goes, you can get the extended battery from Sony with the e-coupon that they send. It will bring the cost down, but it can only be used for one device. Thanks for the info Dave.

Posted by Greg Goldsborough, Friday, Jul. 21st, 2006

Jerry have you seen the extended battery? From initial reports it is considerably wider.. Ill let everyone know when i get mine in August.

Posted by David Ciccone, Wednesday, Jul. 19th, 2006

Jerry I only deal with the Enterprise units so I am not sure if it will work on the consumer models.

Posted by Steve Trotto, Wednesday, Jul. 19th, 2006

I understand that and I mentioned that the power station is a good investment for people who need to power multiple devices. However, for those who want to travel light, not worry about more cords (ie. the cord that connects the PS to the UX, the cord to charge the power station, etc), or a device that's bigger than the UX iteself, then an extended battery will do the trick.